1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices which are used to cut a piece of siding prior to its installation onto the exterior of a building. Specifically, this invention provides a universal siding cutter which can be used to safely and precisely cut several different types of siding.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Strip siding is widely used in the construction industry to provide a protective, attractive exterior surface to buildings. Siding strips are most commonly fabricated from aluminum or steel, although siding made from plastic is also available. Many different configurations of siding material are also available. For example, a "straight eight" length of siding gives the appearance of a straight shingle that is approximately eight inches long. The "double four" and "double five" types of siding are constructed so as to give the appearance of an upper and a lower shingle each having, respectively depending upon the siding type, four or five inches in width. Many other different configurations of siding are commercially available in addition to those discussed above.
During installation, it often becomes necessary to cut or trim individual lengths of siding to conform to the external dimensions of the building to which the siding is to be applied. Machines which have been previously developed for accomplishing this function are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,134,235 and 3,279,295.
Although such machines could effectively cut siding to a desired length, they often also deformed the siding during cutting, particularly in flanged areas or in the vertical step area between the two flat shingle portions in a double width piece of siding. Such deformation often had to be manually corrected after making each cut. Over the course of an entire project, this could become an expensive and time-consuming task for a siding contractor.
It is clear that there has existed a long and unfilled need in the prior art for an improved siding cutter that is adaptable to different types of siding and which will not deform the siding during cutting.